HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Those critics who claimed the Los Angeles Clippers were all style and no substance last season will have to find something else to nit-pick about the reigning Pacific Division champions.

Because “Lob City” is finished. No more. History.

One of the central figures in the movement, Clippers All-Star dunk machine Blake Griffin, has declared it D.O.A. under coach Doc Rivers. The new coach is all about substance in his effort to take the Clips from an exciting, playoff-regular group to an actual championship contender. With a new, defensive-minded focus and significant shift in how they’ll play on offense, there is simply no room for the flash that was Lob City, as Griffin detailed to ESPN’s Shelly Smith:

“Lob City doesn’t exist anymore. Lob City is done. We’re moving on and we’re going to find our identity during training camp and that will be our new city. No more Lob City.”

The fun police can blame Rivers. He won’t mind. As long as his team is grinding on both ends and playing up to its potential, he’ll be pleased. Fans who had grown accustomed to the “Lob City” mentality, though, will need time to adjust. I know I will after enjoying Griffin and DeAndre Jordan‘s slam-dunk finishes off tosses from Chris Paul and Jamal Crawford the past couple of seasons.

But it’s a necessary change, Griffin said, for the greater good:

“Our offense is going to have a totally different look this year,” said Griffin, who added that he’d done a lot of work in the offseason on his face-up game from 10 to 15 feet. “Our offense is going to have a lot of movement and floor spacing. I’m looking forward to it.”

Of course, not everyone will feel the same way about the end of Lob City.

Griffin, the 2010 NBA Slam Dunk champion, said he gets that.

“People will still wear T-shirts,” Griffin said. “I can’t really go to people’s houses and take their T-shirts and cut them up. But we [will] have a new identity as a team and that’s going to be what we work out during training camp.

“We’ll take about two or three weeks and really come up with something good.”

65 Comments

WITH THIS COACH, CLIPPERS GONNA COME AROUND AND PLAY TO THEIR POTENTIAL. I LOOK FOR A VERY GOOD YEAR FROM THEM, AND HOPEFULLY FOR THE CAVS. IN THE LOSER DEPT, I HOPE HEAT DON’T MAKE ROUND ONE OF PLAY9OFFS.

clippers,memphis,spurs and houston will be there this time but cant count warriors out here, okc cant do it without brook! East is stronger this time with heat,chicago,indiana, brook,nyk, cleveland not bad if bynum goes to work! If injuries stay away which looks unlikely this should be a hell of a season!

both will go down as ringless “talents” not stars anyway so i wont even bother thinking they’ll win a ring… they just dont have the depth and the defensive capabilities. Changing coaches doesnt greatly effect defensive capabilities, tell that to shmellow, allen iverson and the thousands of good players without rings including shawn kemp which i think resembles griffindor….lol they just dont have it in them…

Maybe the mentality is gone, but you can’t tell me on a fast break with Griffin and Paul that they won’t be looking for the alley-oop. It’s almost a guarenteed score. Maybe no more set alley-oop plays, but the spur of the moment plays will still rage on in LA

Only person who commented here noticed that Doc Rivers said that he likes lob city. In the video that’s posted here Doc says that he’s all for lob city but also mentioned a number of changes that they need to do in order to move from good to great.

If I were a Clippers fan, I would be excited that Lob City is taking a back seat to actually playing smart basketball. Round 1 versus the Grizzlies exposed every flaw in LAC’s style and Del Negro’s system. Rivers is going to make this team a playoff contender.

What is this silly conversation, don’t any of you know basketball? They are about to play real ball you know defense good shoots Blake gets a jump shot. Wouldn’t you like to see him play well in the playoffs rather get banged to death trying to get to the basket.

Doc Rivers will make this team a championship contender for the next 1-3 or 4 years. I’m not even a big fan but you have to admit they look pretty scary. If Blake can develop some reliable post moves watch out.

I dont think lob city will be done I mean the lob will be there no matter what and if its open theres no way Blake/Deandre and CP3 will not go for it. Doc Rivers just doesnt want them to go crazy with it anymore and look for it every single time. There won’t be just CP3 going pick n roll all day it’ll have more of a set offense and their defense will cause break opportunities and yes with fast breaks come alley-oops lol. Doc Rivers is just saying he will use more of his weapons and more of an actual set offense rather than CP3 running the show and just everybody standing and waiting to either dunk or shoot a three. Doc will add more substance to this team.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, great teams have always found opportunities for dunks and ally oops. It’s all about the team’s maturity and timing. I think that last season Lebron James only dunked like 6 time off the dribble, we’ve still seen tons of spectacular plays.

Are you kidding me? Why wouldn’t you run BG off of a screen that gives him a layin or slam. It will happen more than you think. But ya ok, more structured, whatever! If Rivers or any of his players in Boston could jump he would have been playing LOB CITY ball as well.

I’m sorry but I just did not get why Lob City is thought of as “dead”? Rivers said he liked it, so that’s no reaon. Is it the vets they’ve added? Well, look at the Knicks last year – how many tosses they’ve had from Kid and Prigioni (who is a vet, although a rookie :) ). I think the addition of mature players who are willing to sacrifice the spotlight for the team win will mean better focus on DJ, Griffin and CP3, while not forgetting about defence. So Lob City is definitely not over. That’s just a media booster for the article…that’s why think.

Clippers fans should be thrilled to hear this, as it signals an important milestone in the maturation of Blake Griffin and, by extension, DeAndre Jordan. As intimidating as both players are capable of being while having fun, they could be downright frightening if they truly adopt a laser focus this season.

You can’t blame Rivers. All that glitz glam and kapow does not always add up to winning a championship. Do the same thing, get the same results. Doc Rivers knows what he’s talking about. I remember the old school Celtics of Larry Bird and Company never had glitz glam kapow and they reigned for over a decade.

Only Miami can LOB in the playoffs and get away with it.And that team is a monster on defense and offense i think they bait other teams to go inside so they can exploit them.The Clipers are not as strong but they could be with the right couch wich they clearly have now.

Offense is always good but having great defense wins Basketball Games hands down. Lob City will always be there, especially having Blake and DeAndre on the same team. Since Doc Rivers is going to make Clippers a fast pace running team, the other team will not have enough time to react to the ball movement of the players.

exactly!Rivers is taking all the fun out of the clippers.Just cuz they are trrying to conteend doesnt mean they cant have fun.It really liftst the team up and besides,I rather have deandre Jordan dunking it than trying his horrible postmoves.dunk are very hgh percentage shots and if yu can please the crowd,get the high percentage shot,and demoralize the other team why wouldnt you?

It took them this long to figure it out? Clippers may be entertaining to watch but their not as competitive as how they look on paper. Hope they come with a bang because we need more competition in the western conference.

Sure the team will find a new identity, but you can’t say you are any safer if its you guarding the rim against the Clippers. The alleyoop is one of the most efficient ways to fill it up and with beasts like Griffin and Jordan waiting, how could you not lob it up.

Lob City cant be dead its just upgraded to “lob city 2.0″…. Dunks are not all the clips can do that 3 point line is gonna be red hot.. And when the D leaves a lane open better believe the dunk is on the way haha

Are you serious? Have you ever actually played Basketball under any kind of decent coach? It has nothing to do with flash or frills, the dunk is the highest percentage shot in Basketball – higher than the layup. Dunking the ball is a guaranteed score. If Doc REALLY imposed some kind of ridiculous rule system about ‘when to and when not to dunk’, all he would be doing is hurting his team.

Alex apparently you are given to a little bit of exaggeration surely you have seen dunks that were missed. While it is a very high percentage shot it is not “a guaranteed score”. I agree with you in that I doubt Rivers will impose some sort of rules that preclude or even limit dunking but his offensive style I don’t think will create the same kinds of opportunities for those lobs and dunks, that doesn’t mean they won’t happen just not as much.